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Spiraea (lat. Spiraea) is a genus of perennial ornamental shrubs of the Pink family. There are about 100 species growing in the steppes and semi-deserts of the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere and in East Asia. It is grown in almost all regions of Our Country where there is horticulture. The official name of the variety is Vangutta, in everyday life the shrub acquired the name of the Bride spirea due to its resemblance to a puffy airy wedding dress. The plant is attractively spectacular appearance, endurance, unpretentiousness and durability. Blooms profusely, is a honey plant. Spirea Bride was bred by crossing varieties of Cantonese and three-lobed spirea, cultivated since 1868.
Description of the bush Bride
Spiraea White Bride is a deciduous monoecious shrub that grows up to 2 m in height. The branches of the plant are lilac in youth, later – dark brown, long, climbing, drooping. Densely covered with leaves – narrowly oval, shortly pointed, with serrated edges, 3-5-lobed, smooth, on petioles 7-8 cm long. In spring and summer, the foliage is dark green on the outside and gray on the inside, turning orange-red in autumn.
Spirea White Bride flowers are white, red in buds, with 5 wide rounded petals, bisexual, 60-80 mm in diameter. They form numerous hemispherical inflorescences, densely spaced along the entire length of the branches. The plant blooms for 3 weeks from mid-June, again – in August. The decorative fruits of the spirea Bride are purple leaflets, in the southern regions they ripen at the end of July, in the middle lane – in September-October.
Spirea White Bride in landscape design
For novice gardeners who have not previously seen the Bride spirea, just look at the photo and read the description to immediately fall in love with it. The shrub is used in a single planting, to create landscape compositions, decoration of hedges and banks of reservoirs. The combination of the White Bride spirea and coniferous crops is considered traditional. A composition of several varieties against the backdrop of a lawn looks impressive. Designers love to plant Vangutta separately so that nothing overshadows her beauty. The plant is resistant to soil and air pollution, which allows it to be used in landscaping cities, planted in industrial areas. The White Bride bush can be cut into any shape, but in this case it will not bloom.
Planting and caring for spirea White Bride
Spirea White Bride is planted in spring, after warm weather sets in, and in autumn, before the start of leaf fall. It prefers light, fertile, well-drained soils with a pH level of no higher than 7. In this case, care will be the least troublesome – watering, fertilizing, pruning. Soil of a different composition for planting spirea Bride should be stabilized:
- add sand, wood ash to dense heavy soils;
- add humus, peat, complex fertilizers to depleted, nutrient-poor sandstones;
- high acidity is reduced by adding lime, ash, dolomite flour.
For harmonious development and high-quality, abundant flowering, the plant needs good lighting throughout the day. The site for planting should be chosen sunny, with deep groundwater.
Trees with a spreading wide crown are an unwanted neighbor for the White Bride. They will create excessive shading, and their branched root system will interfere with the development of spirea roots. A more favorable combination with undersized coniferous crops – juniper, thuja, cypress.
Preparation of planting material and site
Spiraea Bride is undemanding to the soil, but grows better in sandy and loamy areas where moisture does not stagnate. For planting, you should choose a healthy, young, compact plant with unblown buds. When purchasing a seedling of the White Bride, you need to pay attention to its condition, a copy will take root well, in which:
- the roots are elastic, moist, well developed, without damage and blackening on the cut and a large number of branches;
- branches are flexible, with green bark without spots and cracks, healthy buds.
Before planting, it is recommended to treat the roots of the plant with a fungicide and soak for a day in a solution of any root formation stimulator – Kornesil, Kornevin, Zircon.
Planting Spirea White Bride
The landing pit for the spirea The bride should be quite spacious, the optimal dimensions are 50×50 cm. A drainage layer of 15-20 cm is laid out at the bottom of small stones, chipped tiles, and broken bricks. The earth taken out when digging a hole is mixed with sod-leaf soil and peat. A mound is formed at the bottom, on which a seedling is installed, spreading the roots evenly (if the plant is planted with a clod of earth, this step will not be needed). 1-2 buckets of water are poured into the pit and covered with the remaining soil mixture to the top. The root neck of the plant should not be deepened; it should be flush with the soil surface or slightly rise. It is recommended to cover the near-stem zone of the Bride’s spirea with a layer of mulch, which will prevent the evaporation of moisture and provide additional nutrition. In favorable conditions and with proper care, the bush will bloom in the 3rd year. Amateur gardeners proudly post photos of the Bride spirea on social networks, willingly share their experience in planting and caring.
Watering and top dressing
White-flowered spirea Bride tolerates heat well, but needs regular watering. The number and frequency of irrigation depends on climatic conditions, the soil should be slightly moist all the time. Watering is best done in the evening. The soil must be loosened in a timely manner – make sure that the earth is not covered with a crust.
The plant should be fed 1-2 times per season, mineral complexes are preferred. In the spring, the spirea Bride will well accept the introduction of nitrogen under the root and mulching with rotted manure, this will ensure good growth and abundant flowering.
In autumn, you need to limit yourself to phosphorus-potassium top dressing in order to give the plant enough energy for wintering and not provoke the growth of new shoots. For this reason, nitrogen and manure have not been applied since the end of summer.
Trimming
Spiraea White Bride is characterized by great growth force, it is repeatedly pruned throughout its life. Gardeners adhere to the following system:
- April-May – shortening of shoots. In the first years, no more than a third, from 5 years – half.
- Every year in the spring, cut out the damaged parts of the plant to a healthy bud.
- Every 7 years – a rejuvenating procedure, all branches are shortened to 25-30 cm.
- A year later, in the fall, weak and thickening shoots are removed.
- The old spirea bush is cut almost to the root, leaving a small stump with 2-3 buds. Subsequently, the young shoots are thinned out, leaving several strong shoots.
When pruning the White Bride spirea in spring, it should be remembered that flowers are formed on last year’s shoots, they need to be protected, in the fall you can cut out all the branches that the gardener deems necessary for rejuvenation, healing and the formation of a bush. Each plant should have more young branches than old ones.
Preparation for winter
With the onset of autumn, the Bride’s spirea is cut, the soil is loosened, fertilizers are applied under the root (except for nitrogen and manure), and watered abundantly. It is important not to be late with pruning, otherwise the plant will not have time to recover before the cold weather.
Spiraea White Bride is considered a frost-resistant plant, capable of withstanding temperatures up to ̶ 40 ˚С. An important condition is the presence of reliable snow cover, in winter it is enough to rake it to the bush. Not relying on nature, gardeners try to help the plant (especially young ones) – they mulch the soil with straw, peat, leaves of fruit trees. The thickness of the coating depends on the region, it can reach 20-25 cm. In anticipation of a harsh winter, all shoots of the Brides’ spirea are collected in a bundle, bent to the ground, fixed, then covered with natural or artificial material. If in winter some parts of the plant have undergone frostbite, they must be removed in the spring, the bush will quickly recover and grow.
Reproduction of the spirea shrub Bride
Spirea Bride is propagated by seeds, cuttings (green and sluggish), layering and dividing the bush. In June, young shoots are cut out at the base, the bark at the cut point is slightly wounded for faster root formation and stuck into the ground until the first leaves. Water a little every day.
By layering, the White Bride is propagated in the spring, after bud break. Young healthy shoots are pinned to the ground, sprinkled with earth, regularly moisten the soil. By autumn, they will take root and be ready for landing in a permanent place.
The division of the White Bride bush is carried out in early spring or autumn, separating the desired part with a sharp shovel. Often, gardeners dig up a whole plant and divide its root into parts so that each segment has 3-4 shoots. You need to act carefully so as not to injure the processes.
Propagation by seeds is not used for propagation of the White Bride spirea, plants grown by this method do not retain the characteristics of the variety.
Diseases and pests
Spiraea Bride is not very susceptible to diseases and pest attacks, it has a high phytoncidal activity, is able to protect itself and plants nearby. Damage occurs when the immune system is weakened. In damp cloudy weather, there is a high risk of fungal infections, which are easily treated by treating with Bordeaux mixture and removing the affected parts of the plant. Of the insects for the spirea Bride, aphids, blue sawfly, kidney gall midge, and spider mites are dangerous. The most effective in the fight against them are “Phosfamide”, “Fitoverm”, “Karbofos”, a combination of granular “Pyrimor” and “Bitobaxicillin”. Mulch around the trunk saves the Bride from snails and slugs.
Conclusion
Spirea Bride is an unusually beautiful and spectacular plant that invariably catches the eye. Gardeners rank it in the “self-growing” category for its undemanding conditions and care. The shrub is a long-liver – it can reach the age of 40, being the main decoration of the garden. In the landscape, it harmonizes with another Bride – Densiflora spirea, providing continuous flowering from early summer to mid-autumn.
